Sun Valley Webcam – Check Conditions on Baldy and Dollar

The Sun Valley Webcam looks across the River Run base area at the foot of Bald Mountain, the main ski mountain of Sun Valley Resort in central Idaho. A wide lawn and a stone patio with umbrellas fill the foreground, a white lift terminal stands beyond them, and aspens and conifers climb the lower slopes behind. Six more resort cameras sit in the tabs: The Bowls near the summit of Baldy, the Warm Springs base, Quarter Dollar on Dollar Mountain, the Sun Valley Club, the Sun Valley Ice Rink and a snow stake. Together they let you check fresh snow up high, the crowd at the base or the color in town before you set out.

About Sun Valley

Sun Valley opened on December 21, 1936. W. Averell Harriman, chairman of the Union Pacific Railroad, built it mainly to put more passengers on his trains, and that first autumn the resort installed the world’s first chairlifts on Proctor and Dollar mountains. Bald Mountain came later. Lift-served skiing began there in the 1939 to 1940 season with three single chairs, and the Roundhouse restaurant went up on its slopes in 1939. Ernest Hemingway finished For Whom the Bell Tolls in suite 206 of the Sun Valley Lodge that same autumn, and the films Sun Valley Serenade (1941) and Bus Stop (1956), with Marilyn Monroe, were shot at the resort.

Bald Mountain, known locally as Baldy, tops out at 2,789 meters (9,150 feet) and drops 1,036 meters (3,400 feet) to the River Run base, where the main camera sits at 1,754 meters (5,755 feet) beside the Big Wood River on the edge of Ketchum. River Run Lodge opened in 1995. The second base, Warm Springs, is at 1,789 meters (5,868 feet), and its lodge dates from 1992. The Bowls camera is mounted near the top at 2,742 meters (8,996 feet), beside a trail sign that points skiers toward Christmas Ridge, Little Easter Bowl and Limelight.

Dollar Mountain, the smaller hill beside Sun Valley village, rises to 2,023 meters (6,638 feet) with a vertical of 191 meters (628 feet), and the Quarter Dollar camera watches its base at 1,814 meters (5,951 feet). The city of Sun Valley had 1,783 residents at the 2020 census, and the Sun Valley Lodge stands at 1,805 meters (5,920 feet). Next door, Ketchum was founded in 1880 under the name Leadville, smelted silver and lead in its early years and later became a major sheep shipping point.

Weather and Climate in Sun Valley

Winters are long, cold and snowy. Ketchum’s 1991 to 2020 normals put January highs around 0 C (31 F) and lows near -13 C (8 F), and the town averages about 259 centimeters (102 inches) of snow a year. The Bowls camera sits almost 1,000 meters (3,240 feet) above River Run, so the upper mountain can be white while the base is still brown. Spring comes slowly, with April highs averaging 11 C (52 F) and frosty nights around -3 C (27 F).

July brings highs near 27 C (80 F) and cool nights around 7 C (45 F). Autumn arrives early. October averages 13 C (56 F) by day and -2 C (28 F) at night, and by mid October the aspens and cottonwoods around River Run turn yellow and gold while the open slopes above have gone tan. When early snow dusts the mountain, The Bowls tab tends to show it first.

Things to Do Near Sun Valley

The Roundhouse Express gondola leaves from the River Run base in the main camera and climbs to the Roundhouse restaurant at 2,347 meters (7,700 feet). From there the Christmas Chair continues to the summit for a 360-degree view, and scenic tickets cover foot passengers on both lifts when they are running. The Sun Valley Club camera looks over the resort’s golf course, which becomes its Nordic center once the snow arrives.

In the village, the outdoor rink at the Sun Valley Lodge is one of the few in the country open all year, and the Sun Valley on Ice shows, which date from 1937, fill it on Saturday nights through the summer. The Sun Valley Pavilion, opened in 2008, puts a tensile membrane roof over 1,500 seats and hosts the free concerts of the Sun Valley Music Festival. A short way east of the Lodge on Trail Creek Road, the Hemingway Memorial sets a bronze bust in a small grove, and the writer is buried in the Ketchum Cemetery. In Ketchum itself are the Wood River Museum of History and Culture, The Community Library and the Sawtooth Botanical Garden, with the Sawtooth National Recreation Area beyond the town.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

More ski hills and mountain views from Idaho and neighboring Wyoming:

• Pomerelle Mountain Webcam
• Snow King Mountain Webcam
• Payette Lake Webcam

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Sun Valley located?

Sun Valley is in Blaine County in central Idaho. Bald Mountain and its River Run base rise beside neighboring Ketchum on the Big Wood River, while Dollar Mountain, the Sun Valley Lodge and the ice rink are in the city of Sun Valley itself.

What can you see on the Sun Valley Webcam?

The main view looks over the River Run base of Bald Mountain: a lawn and patio, a lift terminal and the lower slopes. The tabs add The Bowls near the summit, the Warm Springs base, Quarter Dollar on Dollar Mountain, the Sun Valley Club golf course and Nordic area, the outdoor ice rink at the Sun Valley Lodge, and a snow stake for measuring fresh snow in winter.

What is the weather like in Sun Valley?

In neighboring Ketchum, January averages a high of about 0 C (31 F) and a low of -13 C (8 F), July runs from about 7 C (45 F) to 27 C (80 F), and about 259 centimeters (102 inches) of snow falls in a year.

How high is Bald Mountain in Sun Valley?

The summit of Bald Mountain is 2,789 meters (9,150 feet) above sea level, with a vertical drop of 1,036 meters (3,400 feet) to the River Run base. The Bowls camera is near the top at 2,742 meters (8,996 feet).

When did Sun Valley Resort open?

On December 21, 1936. Union Pacific chairman W. Averell Harriman developed it, and the world’s first chairlifts were installed on its Proctor and Dollar mountains that autumn.

Does the Sun Valley Webcam show how much snow has fallen?

Yes, in winter. The Snow Stake tab points at a marked board that the resort clears every day at 4 pm, so the depth on it shows the snow that has fallen since the previous afternoon.

Can you ride the Sun Valley gondola without skiing?

Yes. A scenic ticket on the Roundhouse Express gondola takes foot passengers from River Run to the Roundhouse at 2,347 meters (7,700 feet), with an optional ride up the Christmas Chair to the summit. Skis and snowboards are not allowed on a scenic ticket, and rides follow the resort’s seasonal schedule.

Source: Sun Valley Resort